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Adrenaline Rush: Surfing in Taiwan

From all over the world, surfers of all ages are communing in the newest surfing spot in Asia: Taiwan. All it takes is a bullet train that passes through Taipei, going all the way to Kaoshiung.

The swells in this side of the world have been well documented- the best surfers from around the world have tried their boards in Taiwan, even with the imminent threat of a typhoon coming in from the surrounding territories.

In Taiwan, the beaches are mostly unguarded by trained life savers, which makes the picture more complicated: it is the local police who have the responsibility of reeling in surfers when a typhoon warning has been sounded. The ocean becomes off-limits when unpredictable typhoons roll in, and surfers have no other choice but to follow when the whistle is blown.

The swells in Taiwan are gigantic; ten-foot waves are a common sight especially when tropical thunderstorms emerge in the nearby territories. Surfers from all over Taiwan (and from all over the world) flock to “safe spots” to surf these difficult swells. But the police and the coastguard are always on the lookout.

Surfers have but one choice when they’re continually called out of the water because of the threat of being swallowed alive by a typhoon: look for spots where there are no police. Farm roads serve as a great get-away from police and the local coast guard. It was all a matter of finding a good spot, away from popular surfing spots that are heavily guarded.

Even a remote spot can offer a surfer everything he expected from Taiwan- the largest swells he or she has ever seen and powerful winds that could carry a surfer very far from shore.